When he went to the front yard, he didn't see Mr. Hei, so Changsheng went to the east yard. He had lived here before and knew where the government stables were.
Went to the stable, and sure enough, Mr. Hei was there. Several grooms were taking good care of him. They used wooden combs to comb the hair, rice soup to drink from, and green steel for the horseshoes. It was said that the prime minister's slave was a seventh-rank official, Hei. Although the young master had to work harder with Chang Sheng, he also received preferential treatment. Whether it was the fodder he ate or the stables he lived in, they were all the best.
Changsheng walked over and took the rice soup that Young Master Hei was drinking aside. Batulu curled his lips and frowned when he saw this, "You can drink it."
"No way, I can't run if I drink too much," Changsheng said and suddenly remembered something, "By the way, senior brother, where is your fire unicorn?"
Batulu raised his hand and pointed north, "In the backyard, I turned the back garden into a cattle pen."
"I asked you why you kept smelling like cow dung when you were eating just now." Changsheng said casually.
Batulu chuckled, then said, "Hey, how about I go with you? You are as skinny as a human being. If you meet a bad person, don't be defeated."
"It's okay, Senior Brother, my spiritual energy cultivation has not been affected," Changsheng said, "You'd better set off with them. I'll take the first step and wait for you in Chang'an."
"Then I won't be able to see you for a few days," Batulu sighed, "Don't try to show off anymore. Don't you have four good buddies? If you have something to do, we can come together. It's really not possible to shout. We went over to help.”
Although what Batulu said was nonsense, his ardent concern was sincere. Changsheng nodded in agreement and stepped forward to lead the horse, "By the way, senior brother, tell General Qin and the others to travel lightly, day and night, westward." I will prepare the military rations for them from Chang'an."
"Okay." Batulu nodded.
Changsheng led the horse in front, and Batulu followed behind, until Changsheng was sent out of the government office, and then watched him riding the horse to the west.
There was no words all the way. At dawn, Changsheng finally returned to Chang'an. As soon as he got off his horse, the housekeeper hurried up from the concierge and said, "How are you, Your Majesty?"
Changsheng was very tired from traveling long distances, so when the housekeeper said hello, he just nodded without responding.
"Your Majesty, the princess is back." The butler led the horse and followed behind.
Although he knew Zhang Mo would definitely come, his heart beat faster when he heard the butler's words, "Oh, when did you come back?"
The steward replied, "I came back with the Grand Master last night. The Grand Master went to court earlier today, and the princess is waiting for you at the house."
After the steward finished speaking, Changsheng nodded slowly. Zhang Shan's title of Protector of the Country was only a title, without rank. At the same time, the imperial court also granted Zhang Shanzheng the title of Grand Master of the first grade. This time Zhang Shan and Zhang Mo came back together, which shows that Luoyang is very important. It might have been taken, otherwise it would be impossible for the two of them to leave the military camp at the same time.
"By the way, Your Majesty, Master Yu Yi came back the day after you left." The butler said again.
Changsheng turned around and asked, "They are back?"
"No, only Master Yu Yi came back and then left again," the housekeeper said. "They seem to be far away now. Master Yu Yi came back just to see if you are back. I learned that you have returned safely. , Master Yu Yi was overjoyed, and left you a letter before leaving, which is in your room."
Changsheng waved his hand to the housekeeper, "Okay, you've worked hard, go down and rest."
The butler nodded in agreement and led the horse away.
Changsheng walked quickly. He had been away from Zhang Mo for a long time, and it was inevitable to miss him. He was also very concerned about the war in Luoyang, because if Zhang Shan did not capture Luoyang, the next military supplies would be a problem, which would last for nearly two years. An army of 100,000 people needs to consume a lot of food and grass every day.
There are many independent courtyards in the palace, and this is what Changsheng lives in. When he pushed the door into the courtyard, he heard footsteps coming from the room on the north side. When he reached the door of the main room, Zhang Mo had already opened the door to welcome him. out.
Zhang Mo's hair was not tied up in a bun. He had obviously just gotten up. He was wearing a white middle coat and a Taoist robe draped over his shoulders.
Changsheng had been eager to see Zhang Mo before, but when Zhang Mo actually appeared in front of him, he felt a little more nervous. It was not the excitement and nervousness of meeting again after a long separation, but the nervousness of a guilty conscience, because as a husband, he obviously He was incompetent and didn't protect himself very well, almost making him a widow.
Fortunately, Zhang Mo didn't show any resentment or blame, nor did he lament. When he saw him coming quickly, he was stunned for a moment, then smiled and asked him to come in.
Changsheng blamed himself and felt guilty. After entering the door, he had nothing to say and asked, "When did you arrive?"
"Last night," Zhang Mo closed the door and turned around, "Actually, I have received your spiritual inspiration a long time ago. It's just that the war ahead is tight and I can't come back to see you in time."
Changsheng sat at the table and poured water from a pot, "When I went south a few days ago, I discovered that the rainfall on both sides of the Cao River was caused by man-made practices. From Huazhou, I heard from passers-by that Taoists from Longhu Mountain went north in large numbers. Previously, the rainfall in Cao River But a group of fellow sects are working together to accumulate floods and destroy the city?"
"Yes," Zhang Mo nodded, "This battle was quite difficult. The enemy also invited many demon monks and wild monks to compete with us. Fortunately, we were more skilled and we finally captured Luoyang after a series of hard battles."
Although he had already guessed the result, Changsheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief after receiving Zhang Mo's confirmation. While drinking water and putting down the cup, he remembered something, "What's our loss?"
Zhang Mo walked to the table and sat down opposite Changsheng, "What are you referring to?"
"Tell me everything." Changsheng said.
Zhang Mo raised his eyebrows and glanced at Changsheng, then turned and said, "In this battle at Longhu Mountain, we lost more than 200 fellow Taoists, and more than 50,000 soldiers were killed or injured."
Seeing Chang Sheng's silence, Zhang Mo immediately added, "You must also know that Luoyang is the ancient capital of the Nine Dynasties and the second largest city after Chang'an. In addition to the 100,000 rebels, there are hundreds of thousands of civilians in the city. Destroying the city will inevitably bring disaster to innocent people, and all of my fellow disciples in Longhu Mountain will be harmed by this act."
Changsheng didn't answer, so Zhang Mo knew that he was waiting for him to continue speaking. After sighing, he said, "This method drowned more than 20,000 people. The eldest brother broke the embankment to divert water. This was the biggest sin. It cost him one year of Yangshou. Others Fellow practitioners of the practice each take between three and five years.”
Hearing Zhang Mo's words, he was heartbroken and in pain for a long time. As a member of the Taoist sect, Zhang Shan knew the consequences of his actions. However, in order to capture Luoyang before the food and grass were exhausted, he could only walk away with swords. It's a bad idea to be biased.
Changsheng wanted to ask Zhang Mo how much Yangshou he had lost, but he swallowed it back. All the disciples who participated in the practice had lost their Yangshou, and Zhang Mo was naturally not immune. Asking would only add salt to the wound.
Seeing Chang Sheng's frown, Zhang Mo hurriedly expressed relief, "After the city was destroyed, the flood receded quickly. Although many people were affected, the damage to the city and houses was not serious, and the impact on people's livelihood was not great. Moreover, we are a self-confederation." Twenty million taels of silver and a large amount of grains and rice were found in the treasury. Although the rice was soaked in water, it can still be eaten after being dried."
Zhang Mo paused briefly at this point, then continued, "We have sent people to transport the money to the household department, but we have to keep the rice for our own use, because although this battle has damaged Zhu Quanzhong's vitality, his main force is still there, and now We have already retreated to Zhengzhou, and we are at odds with Sun Ru from Jianghuai to defend and resist. We still have a long way to go to suppress the rebellion."
"How many soldiers and horses does the elder brother still have?" Changsheng asked.
"After recruiting and reducing the soldiers, we can barely reach 200,000," Zhang Mo said, changing the subject. "After your accident, Yang Kai and others went to the army to look for me. They wanted me to find you. What happened in Silla?" They all told me too.”
"I'm still young and energetic, and I don't think things through well. If I take a long-term view and act steadily, I won't be trapped in a tight siege and make you worried and sad. It really shouldn't be." Changsheng reflected on himself.
Zhang Mo waved his hand and shook his head, "I can't blame you for this. There are so many Japanese pirates and so many masters. No matter how you plan, you have no chance of winning. You were able to kill more than 200 enemies because you thought you were going to die. You will sink the ship." , if you try to protect yourself, you won't have such a record."
"I killed one hundred and seventy-two, less than two hundred." Changsheng corrected him.
"They told me what happened before," Zhang Mo asked, "What happened after that? Where did you go? How did you escape death?"
Hearing Zhang Mo's question, Chang Shang gave a concise and comprehensive account of what happened. Being concise and concise was his usual style, but this time he added understatement. He didn't want Zhang Mo to know too much detail, because If Zhang Mo knew the details, he would definitely feel even more distressed.
Even if Chang Sheng deliberately concealed it, Zhang Mo still felt heartbroken, because she also lived in the mountains and knew how difficult it was to survive when she was seriously injured and poisoned.
Zhang Mo was different from ordinary women. She never cried or cried even if her heart was twisted. She knew that Changsheng's understatement was because she didn't want her to be sad after hearing it, so she never asked for details. "You must be more careful in the future. The imperial court cannot do without it." You, the people cannot live without you."
"Can you live without me?" Chang Sheng asked with a smile.
Zhang Mo smiled and said, "Since I live with you, I have been mentally prepared. When you are here, I will keep my chastity for you. When you are not here, I will keep my integrity for you."
Hearing Zhang Mo's words, Changsheng was very moved, "When I was dying, I could let go of everything, but I couldn't let go of you, because I was sorry for everyone but you. I was able to survive because I was sorry for you." I feel guilty and don’t want to let you down.”
Zhang Mo smiled, and she was very happy. The reason why she and Changsheng were married was because she hoped that Changsheng would be connected and would not go to extremes easily.
Seeing Changsheng turning around and looking around, Zhang Mo asked, "What are you looking for?"
"Did Yu Yi leave me a letter?" Changsheng asked casually.
"There." Zhang Mo pointed to the bedside.
Changsheng stood up and walked to the bed, "Have you had enough sleep? Do you want to take a rest..."
